1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system to input moving images and to control recording of moving images.
2. Description of the Related Art
With respect to capturing images using a camera, there are various methods for obtaining an image intended by a user operating the camera.
During capturing of a still image, a method of automatically releasing a shutter of a camera can be used to capture an image of a moving subject. Also, this method can be used as countermeasures against camera shaking or off timing. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-201679 discloses a technique of measuring a distance in a specified area and capturing an image if the subject thereof is placed within a preset frame.
On the other hand, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-284053 (corresponding to United States Patent Application Publication No. 2003/0185419) discloses a technique of changing imaging magnification of monitoring images in accordance with a change in an imaging range in a field of monitoring cameras to capture moving images. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-050237 discloses a technique of changing an imaging range.
In the methods disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Documents, however, recording of moving images satisfying a condition intended by a user cannot always be performed, although a starting condition of capturing a still image and recording a moving image can be specified.
Also, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-285542, there is suggested a technique of controlling start and stop of recording by obtaining a difference between an image specified in advance and a captured image by using a motion vector and encoding the images.
In the method disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-285542, however, control is performed on the basis of a change in the entire image, but a condition cannot be set for a change in a specific area in the image. Also, an image to be compared with a captured image needs to be input in advance. Furthermore, the method for specifying a differential evaluation value of a motion vector by a threshold as a condition to control start and stop of recording is not an intuitive operation to specify an image intended by a user and is lacking in reliability.
That is, according to the conventional techniques, it is difficult to reliably set start and end conditions of recording in order to record an image intended by a user.